August 02, 2011

Well, I finally did it. I finally sat down with pliers and a million little jump rings and did chain maille. And I survived!

If you've been reading Jewelry Making Daily for awhile, you know that I've resisted chain maille every time I had to, not because I don't like it (in fact, I'm kind of in awe of it and those of you who do it), but because I simply don't have the patience for it. Super detailed, "commitment" crafts like hand quilting, chain maille, bead weaving . . . they're gorgeous and impressive but simply not for me. Or so I thought.

Turns out, chain-maille jewelry doesn't have to takeforever (or even days and days) to make. In fact, some chain-maille projects can be completed in minutes (as I learned from our new chain-maille eBook last Friday). Minutes, I tell you! I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes . . . and done it with my own two fidgety little hands.

But I digress. So when I saw that we had another new chain-maille DVD coming out, I knew I was going to have to actually make some this time. I didn't want to take the "easy" way out and make a chain-maille project with just a few links, either, not with all of you watching! So I decided I'd do honest-to-goodness chain, made from a realchain-maille weave. (Here's where you say "ohh" and "ahh." Ha!)

June 22, 2011

Perhaps it's my inner ADD child, or maybe it's just part of being a creative person, but I get sidetracked very easily. For example, I was tech editing Lynn Davy's project for the October/November 2011 issue of Beadwork magazine last week. Lynn's necklace design incorporates a strap that's stitched to look like chain maille. "What kind of chain maille pattern is this?" questioned my inner child. "Not sure you've actually done this one, Jean," said my inner child as she grabbed the mouse from my tech-editing brain and started surfing the Web. Click, click, click. Research, research, research. "Ah, it's the European 4-in-1 technique that was often used to make a fabric of chain for warriors' tunics," my inner child explains as she pulled my helpless self to the workbench. Before I knew it, I was miles away from editing Lynn's fantastic piece and hunkered over a bunch of jump rings and a pair of chain-nose pliers to figure out how this technique is done. Though I have an attention-deficit side, I'm also quite prudent, so I figure I'll redeem my inner child's naughty "playing while working" folly with a practical tutorial on how this wonderful ancient technique is done:

June 18, 2011

I got some great chain-maille tips watching Scott David Plumlee's Make Chain Maille Jewelry! DVD this weekend, and I had to share. There's so much, I don't want to overload you--so we'll just look at tools and supplies today. Imagine how great the DVD is if I got all of these awesome tips just from the tool intro!?

April 20, 2011

This nifty little hole-making tool is just a few inches long, only weighs a couple ounces, and is very powerful. I like it because it uses no energy other than the light twist you expend from your fingers, and when punching holes in metal, there's not the crazy amount of heat produced on the metal piece as with an electric drill. I find my holes are also cleaner than the freehand ones I make with my Dremel; there's no bouncing and scraping, which sometimes happens when I'm drilling a thick piece of metal.

March 10, 2011

Search for Steampunk on Etsy and you'll find almost 70,000 results . . . and 6.5 million on Google. To help put this cool trend in perspective, searches for "silver jewelry" net a little over 2,800 results on Etsy and 6,440,000 on Google—or 60,000 less than Steampunk.

What is Steampunk, anyway?Steampunk gets its name from a time or "world" where steam power was used, typically the Victorian era and the 1800s. It was a romantic time full of arts and beauty but also full of discovery and new technology, like the invention of steam power. The Steampunk movement aims to combine those two feelings. Though it seems like a hot new idea, the term was actually coined in the 1980s and the work that led to the creation of the term (books, movies, even art) is even older—from the 1960s and '70s. A large part of the trend's popularity comes from science-fiction writing that was set in the steam age of Victorian England.

Simply put, Steampunk is industrial and mechanical "stuff" with an elaborate and romantic—albeit incongruous—Victorian twist. Good examples seen on Wikipedia include "coal-powered flying boats, ornate submarines, and Victorian dialogue." Like I said, incongruous! But interesting.

March 07, 2011

Steps of Silver Jewelry MakingThere are basically only five steps from the design in your mind to the ring on your finger—or whatever piece of jewelry you want to make. Many silver jewelry-making projects won't even require all five steps. By breaking silversmithing down into manageable steps and learning them one by one, I realized that creating custom silver jewelry is an achievable (and extremely fun) process.

February 28, 2011

Wire was hot, hot, HOT! The colored wire spools were delightful to drool over. Many of the booths had folks giving demos on creating your own wire masterpieces. Like potato chips, once you start, there's no stopping.

Wireworking pajama parties until the wee hours were plentiful in Tucson! A tradition sure to continue next year.

February 24, 2011

Improve your skills as a jewelry making silversmith while you create an outstanding silver pendant, ring, and pin. In this new Jewelry Making Daily free eBook, available for download today, you will discover three silver jewelry making projects packed with valuable information to help guide you further into the art of silversmithing. Whether you’re into making silver jewelry for yourself or friends, or to create custom silver jewelry to sell, you’ll find Silversmithing Techniques from Jewelry Making Daily: 3 Free Silver Jewelry Making Projects a valuable reference and source of inspiration. With silver sheet, silver jewelry findings, and basic silver jewelry making supplies, you’ll be sure to hone your silversmithing skills as you re-create these outstanding pieces. You can also use any of the projects in this terrific free eBook as a springboard to develop a unique silver jewelry design of your own.